Network-based storage services exist that allow data to be stored and accessed over wide area networks (“WANs”), such as the internet. Some network-based storage services (or an associated service, such as a storage analytics service) provide functionality for providing metrics and/or analytics for objects stored by the network service. For example, metrics can be periodically generated indicating the access rates for objects, the volume of data uploaded or downloaded, the error rates associated with stored objects, and/or other types of metrics. Various types of analytics can also be generated for the stored objects based upon the metrics and/or other information.
One type of information that is very difficult to compute for large scale storage services such as those described above is the identity of stored data objects that are infrequently or never accessed. This is difficult because requests for these types of objects are infrequently or never received at the storage service and, therefore, no data is available regarding the last time that these objects were accessed. The storage of data that is infrequently or never accessed can unnecessarily consume valuable storage space, thereby degrading the performance of the storage services that store such data.
The disclosure made herein is presented with respect to these and other considerations.